Did go out to the Village and to the outlets. The Village was packed. Picked up the obligatory VS wishlist items w/complimentary tote bag, just like the last 3 years. Walked in, then out, of American Eagle. Bought the husband some stuff at Macy’s. Bought the daughter a hoodie at my most-hated store in the mall–Abercrombie & Fitch. Went to the outlets. They were surprisingly mellow, except for Coach which was a zoo. Bought various pajama items at Old Navy. Walked in, then out, of the Gap. Bought holiday foaming hand wash and a couple of Wallflowers at Bath & Body Works. Left.

Decided to go and see Twilight with the daughter, who thinks Edward Cullen is beautiful. Pointed out to each other all the inconsistencies between the book and the movie as they happened. Agreed that the book was better than the movie. Agreed that the movie direction had no ‘flow’. Agreed that the actress cast as Bella really wasn’t as bad as we thought she’d be. Thought the special effects like running and climbing were cheesy, but kind of liked how Edward sparkled in the sunshine. Decided that Stephanie Meyers better get a bigger budget and a better director for New Moon because that book has way more big screen potential than Twilight. Agreed that Robert Pattinson (Edward) was the best thing about the movie.

Went home. Ate leftovers. Shopped online. Typed this. Going to sleep.

 
 
 
Deep Sleep Empire opened with a respectable show. The guitarist broke a string and played the second half of the set to the amp to cover it up, but good solid music from them. They fit the whole emo/indie/punk expectation.

13 year old girl watch: Huh. They were pretty good.
Deep Sleep Empire on Myspace
 
 
 

Illuminea, with their 5 lead singers, cello and violin kicked off the second set. Somehow their psychedic sound just didn’t seem to fit with the punk rock theme of the show. It seemed like they needed to turn down the volume a little so the crowd could appreciate them more.

13 year old girl watch: They sound like hippies. We’re going out in the hall. Text me when they’re done.
Illuminea on Myspace

The curtains closed before the next set, bringing the anticipation level up just a little higher for the Gene the Werewolf set. Curtains opened with a twisted carney intro to the band, then went straight into Super Hero, a song off their demo that’s a little bit Kiss and a little bit (the) Darkness and a whole lotta fun. Jon, err, Gene, was dressed to kill in a white suit and black aviator shades. The followed with the other song off their demo, Make Love, before going in to a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ that got the crowd sufficiently pumped up and in a party mood for headliners Punchline. Diamondcore, indeed.

13 year old girl watch: That was fun. They’re really, really good.
Gene the Werewolf on Myspace

 
 
 

Now, I had never seen or heard Punchline before this moment, save for their Myspace stuff which was misleading because the first few songs are acoustic. Acoustic is good, but acoustic is not what this band is all about. To quote lead singer Steve Soboslai, “…less talk, more rock.” And rock they did. The dove into their set with the volume cranked to 12 and didn’t let up for a moment. This show is exactly why I missed live music so much–the way the sound from the speakers blows the clothes right off your body. Punchline, now signed to Fueled by Ramen (Fall Out Boy, etc.), are off to Europe with MXPX after the show.

13 year old girl watch: They sound like Lostprophets. I like ‘em. Alot. Can I have a tee shirt?
Punchline on Myspace | Official Site

Check out Punchline’s video for ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ from their latest “37 Everywhere”.

Cloverfield is an in-your-face, whirling, swirling, dizzying attack on your senses. My daughter left the theatre twice just to keep from puking, and finished out the longest 84 minutes in cinematic history watching from behind the fur on the hood of her coat. I caught myself hugging myself tightly trying to protect myself from ‘whatever-it-is-it’s-winning’.

The beginning gives you practice in mastering the art of watching a movie by camcorder. The party is rolling along, and then–BAM. From that moment on, nothing is ever going to be the same. Was the monster what I expected? Well, kind of. It was big and scary and loud. And when it was in your face, it was IN YOUR FACE! Hud was by far my favorite character, providing the flick with some much needed levity with quotes like, “I have to document this. This is important. People are going to watch this,” while the monster stomped around Midtown.

I dropped the F-bomb quite a few times, and by the end, I was ready. Ready to start breathing again, ready to stop clenching my teeth, ready to walk out of the dark to a place where the monster wasn’t. Not even Space Mountain gives you a ride like Cloverfield.

A song in memory of the beach:

Cast a Hook – Laura Veirs (watch)

The smells of the season are being taken care of by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs Samhain and Pumpkin Patch 1 and 4. I highly recommend checking out these truly unique perfume oils–just don’t be scurred by the intensely gothic feel of the site. Beth conjures up some incredibly complex scents.

I also appreciate a good spirited (haha) playlist. Like the one I found at the CBC Radio 3 website. Damn, those Canadians have some good tunes. Even scare-a-rific ones!

Long live the undead and Sookie Stackhouse! This year’s vampire story was Dead to the World, one of the Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series. Sookie Stackhouse, girl next door and telepath, finds herself a vampire boyfriend and gets more information than she ever wanted about the (now outed) vampire community. Quick, satisfying reads with fun story lines. Charlaine Harris’ website says that this is going to be an HBO series soon. I’ll be all over that one.

Since Sookie only took one day and a half to devour, I started Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things last night. Neil is by far my favorite author, intertwining fantasy and horror effortlessly and enticingly. “October in the Chair” tells a sad story of a boy’s bitter life, and death. From a design perspective, the book binding, with it’s broken butterfly wings and the onionskin-like dust jacket that barely conceals it together create a gorgeous piece of art.

Okay, enough. Time for some more snack-sized candy bars–my sugar high is wearing off. Cheers.